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 Google Maps your Bus Route 
Books Heat Up Point-of-Sale
Cut and Paste Itineraries Build More Community
Adults Email use Outpaces Teens
If the mind is the first thing to go, can mental aerobics keep brains fit? Some scientists haven't made up their minds, but aging consumers have. "Use it or lose it" is the brain health motto, and now crossword and Sudoku puzzles have been joined by tech-enabled brain benders, often masquerading as games. Dubbed brainercises and braintainment, the applications have one goal: Exercise the brain to improve memory, concentration and cognitive functions, usually through progressively more difficult brain-training workouts. The new tech applications and games emerge from research indicating memory decline isn't inevitable but can be kept at bay by training the brain. Among the players: Majesco Entertainment's Brain Boost, subscription gaming sites like MyBrainTrainer.com, CogniFit's MindFit and Dakim's [m]Power, hailed as plug-and-play so even tech-challenged seniors can easily access mental exercises. While others fight to garner gray gamer attention, Nintendo and Posit Science are the two receiving the most attention. Nintendo's Brain Age, which uses word and math puzzles to entertain and flex mental muscles, arrived stateside after big success in Japan, and has sold over 4.59 million units worldwide in the first six months of 2006. Even though Brain Age was developed by a neuroscientist, Nintendo makes few scientific claims, calling it entertainment. Posit Science developed its Brain Fitness Program (it's not called a videogame) with a team of scientists. The company touts its research and partners with retirement communities to offer the program through onsite brain fitness centers. Starting in January 2007, Humana's Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plan participants will get Posit's program free of charge. Every business should now be thinking of ways to help its customers exercise not only their bodies, but their minds.
Seeing is believing. In the case of W. L. Gore, the manufacturer hopes to make believers out of consumers who take its high-performance GORE-TEX outerwear for a test drive. The company's Extreme Weather Chamber is part of the mobile Know What's Inside tour coming to a city near you. The tour schools consumers in the unique qualities of GORE-TEX apparel. Inside the test chamber, adventure seekers can dial up their own weather to give items a test. Also hitching a ride, the Evidence Communication Station for testing apparel's windproof, waterproof and moisture-vapor-transfer qualities. Gore's chamber is reminiscent of the New York City shop launched in 2006 by snowboard maker Burton. That store features a cold vault where shoppers can test products in actual sub-zero winter temperatures while sitting atop massive ice blocks carved into benches. Manufacturer claims only go so far. Little instills more buying confidence in consumers than the chance to put goods, and guarantees, to the test.
Shoppers are known to leave stores empty-handed when they experience things are out-of-stock. According to an Akamai/Jupiter Research study of online shopping behavior, the Web equivalent appears to be waiting longer than four seconds for a page to load. Akamai found that four seconds is when patience maxes out and e-shoppers begin moving the mouse to another site. Poor site performance ranked second only to high prices and shipping costs as consumers' leading dissatisfaction factors. Besides lost sales, poor site quality means shoppers click away with 75% not likely to shop there again and nearly 30% of dissatisfied customers developing a negative perception of the e-tailer. Four seconds may seem too short, but quibbling over seconds misses the point: E-shoppers enjoy abundant choices, and they're just a few clicks away. Consumers will switch quickly to find sites that meet their convenience needs and offer an enjoyable experience.
Google Transit brings the magic of Google Maps to public transportation. To get detailed directions and schedule information, users identify where they're starting from and going to, and when they'd like to depart or arrive. In return, they get one of those cool, draggable maps of the route as well an itinerary. Google launched Transit in December 2005, but only for Portland, Oregon. In Fall 2006, it added five major metro areas: Tampa, Florida; Honolulu, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Eugene, Oregon. Also joining Portland are Southern California's Burbank and Orange County. Public transit ridership is up across the U.S. Still, in many cities, there's a steep learning curve for navigating public transportation systems. Reliable planning tools—especially from known and trusted sources—can cut the intimidation factor for newbies and expand use for veterans. As transit cities go, Google may have started with the softballs. But imagine the transformative possibilities of its golden touch on the big systems like those in NYC, DC and Chicago.
Today's book buyers are skipping the bookstore and buying at the butcher shop instead. Publishers are finding selling success in specialty retail shops like Urban Outfitters. Retailers from clothiers to coffee shops sell just a few books that fit into their buyers' lifestyles and complement the store's core offerings. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said the company wants to further push books, and will do so by partnering with specific authors and publishers (MarketWatch.com 5.15.06). Categorized as "special market sales," Simon and Schuster's sales to niche (non-bookstore) retailers is up 50% over the past four years (NYTimes.com 11.2.06). Niche lifestyle books are popping up in the usual spots like cooking and electronics stores, but they're also selling well in butcher shops, wine shops and baby stores. It's not about shopping for goods in a particular category, it's about shopping for a certain lifestyle. Aggregate diverse products that fit a specific lifestyle profile to grab niche buyers. With the book business struggling, many retailers are trying to push tomes as tasty side dishes to their core offerings rather than making them a main course.
It's like Amazon's Listmania for travel. Or maybe it's more of an itinerary remix. TripTie, a new online traveler community, enables users to build, store and swap itineraries—whole or just parts—and then book online (through Kayak.com or Mobissimo.com). TripTie authors and their Trip Plans are rated by users. While social networking is a component of TripTie—which makes it similar to other so-called MySpace-for-travel offerings like Gusto! and Tripmates—the emphasis is on plan building. TripTie members help one another winnow down potential travel experiences to plan the perfect trip. Serious travelers love opportunities to Beehive around their passions. Almost as much as they love competing for most-savvy bragging rights. Peer-to-peer travel advice is moving beyond hotel reviews and travel narrative into experience mashups.
According to a survey by Parks Associates, less than one fifth of the 13- to 17-year-olds surveyed said they use email to communicate with friends, compared with 40% of adults 25-54 (ExtremeTech.com 11.3.06). Instead, one third of teens rely on instant messaging, versus 11% of adults. The informal, always-on nature of IM can create less-than-professional communication habits that young employees are carrying into the workplace. Middle-aged managers say they're frustrated with young hires who rely on IM when the situation calls for an in-person conversation. Email isn't going anywhere; it's simply a matter of method. Day to day, the rapid-fire pace of IM more closely replicates face-to-face communication. For teens, email actually feels more like "long-form communication." IM also allows teens to multi-"task" while watching TV, talking, texting, scrolling through songs, etc. When it comes to the when, where, why and how of effective workplace communication, employers may have some explaining to do. | | 
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